Aquatic archery, sometimes known as bowfishing or archery fishing, is a fast-growing, outdoor sport in which an operator uses an archery bow, arrows, and lines to shoot and retrieve fish. Although aquatic archery can be done from the shore, more often, operators shoot from boats or while standing in or near the body of water. Fish are shot with an arrow that is attached with special line to a reel mounted on the bow. The bow may be laid down once the fish is reeled to be collected, to help others, or for a variety of other reasons. At that point, the bow is vulnerable to falling into the body of water.
An aquatic archery bow is often lost as an operator accidentally knocks the bow into the water. Unfortunately, bows are typically made of material(s) that are not buoyant. Moreover, bows are expensive. Even starter bows are costly, with the price increasing as the quality of the bow increases. Additionally, once the bow owner adds the necessary arrows, reels and line, and any other desired accessories, the material needed for aquatic archery becomes quite expensive. Therefore, a lost bow not only ends the activity until a new bow and accessories can be purchased, it can be financially detrimental to the owner of the bow.
Accordingly, a need exists for a floatation device that is securable to an aquatic archery bow, and which can easily be added to any bow. A need also exists for such a device which does not affect the performance or usability of the bow.